3D-Printed Polymers with High Resistance to Atomic Oxygen Erosion and Orbital Debris Impact

There is increasing need to protect and repair structural material systems deployed to the adverse environment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) from Atomic Oxygen (AO) erosion and damage due to orbital debris impact. Of special interest are polymer-based composites because of their lightweight properties and the new capabilities to directly 3D-print in Space. This presentation focuses on AO-erosion studies at the International Space Station (ISS) coupled with ground-based simulated debris impact experiments with tough polydicyclopentadiene (PDCPD) and its nanocomposites that were 3D printed via highly energy efficient frontal polymerization. The AO-erosion experiments were conducted through runs 13 and 15 of the Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE). Results from AO-erosion experiments with different PDCPD formulations and their nanocomposites at the ISS demonstrated a 10-fold reduction in erosion rate, setting a path for even further increases in AO erosion resistance. The same materials in both as-fabricated and AO-eroded form were subjected to ground-based impact experiments with sub-millimeter size aluminum projectiles propelled to hypervelocities approximating orbital space debris velocities. The experimental projectile velocity profiles and the residual impact crater geometries were utilized to calibrate a hydrodynamic computational model that provided damage predictions for different debris velocities. This combined experimental and modeling approach to debris damage opens new quantitative routes for predictive and efficient design of advanced lightweight materials for Space applications.